The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-29
THE INDUSTRIAL SOUTH.
Address of Major E. A. Burke to the
Louisiana Press Convdntlon at
Lake Charles.

Louisiana Press ConvdntIon at
Lake Charles.
Twenty-Five years ago, during a season
OF my country's peril, / became associ-
ated with an earnest and successful eff
fort to promote industrial development
in the South.
Perhaps it is largely due to the events
of that period associated in my mind,
as they have always been, with tender
and holy memories,) that the changing
scenes and occupations of busy life
become more and more connected
with the great question under discus
sion.
Necessity created, from the crude nat
ural resources of the South, the means
of transportation for our armies west of
the Mississippi.
Large tanneries, blacksmith, wheel
wright, carpenter and harness shops were
brought into existence.
An army Of mechanics, white and col
| Ored, were therein trained to the service
of their country; but the smoke of bat
| tie had scarcely cleared away, before
every vestige of the great workshops dis
appeared.
1t seemed as if, with the lowering Of
the stars and bars, the South had also
given up all hope of achieving industrial
independence. Our people at once re-
| turned to their allegiance 10 the indus
trial North
The surrender was as complete as that
of Appomattox.
Every wagon, set of harness, plow, ag-
ricultural implement, tub, bucket, shoe,
hat or article of clothing bought by
our people paid its tribute to the
North, swelling the vast sums sent
out of the South for meat, bread and
forage.
In vain the richly metaled ores crop
ped invitingly from the mountain side.
In vain the dusky motor slumbered
meath the Cumberland, the Warrior,
the Cahaba, and in the hills of Arkan-
sas.
The towering pines of Louisiana raised
| their imposing heads untouched; her
generous soil of surprising fertility re-
mained untitled.
We are told that the financial condi-
tion of our people and the
WAR OF RECONSTRUCTION,
more deadly in its financial effect, re-
tarded our industrial progress.
| The lack of industrial training and
| the lack of knowledge of improved tools,
implements and machinery, it is ad-
mitted, stood in our way. 1t was
surely not alone ignorance of the fact
| that the South abounded in rich miner
als
The Spaniards marked every rich iron
hill of Alabama with piles of stones.
For sixty years the geologists have
heaped up the written records OF the
vast mineral wealth of Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Georgia and the Virginias.
| North Carolina and Arkansas, it is
well known, have Bessemer ore enough
to rebuild the navy, fortify the coun-
try and relay every mile of iron on the
railways of the United States with steel.
Texas was turning out bar iron when the
war closed.
There is not an editor here from one
of nine localities in North Louisiana
that can walk through his parish with
out stumbling over iron ore and miner
ais that ought to quadruple the assessed
values of his parish when known to the
world.
1t will scarcely satisfy history to as
sumo that the causes enumerated fully
Justify our long lethargy respecting in
dustrial progress.
| Our ports were closed, the home marts
of commerce were not open to us, chan
nels of instruction were not available,
and vet, east and west of the Mississippi
industrial works were inaugurated TWEEN
ty-five years ago that would do credit to
any country.
Political strife and political agitation
was a necessity for decade, but we may
well pause, and ask ourselves (ten years
after the Inauguration of economical
government), if its baleful influence
shall continue with us forever.
Has the unhappy spirit of strife which
set countrymen against cOuntrymen,
and came so near perpetually dividing
the republic, been transmitted to us an
abiding heritage? Are the men oi
Shiloh, and the men of the 14th of Sep
tember to pass off the stage of life with
ewes glaring with hatred, hands elench-
ed for blows, and lips compressed fol-
cruel words aimed at comrades of the
past in common struggles for the public
good2
Shall we train our children to strife
Shall we continue to teach them by ex
ample to tear down, or shall they begin
to learn to build up9
Thoughtful men in the South, fully
approaching the gravity of the second
excuse made for our people, lack OF
knowledge of implements and machin
cry, set about applying remedy.
At the time of the Centennial, railroad
communication was difficult and expen
siye from the South to Philadelphia
hence the benefits of that great exhi
bition were not experienced by the
South.
The West appeared there, and the
: testimony of all authorities points to the
rapid and wondrous development OF
that section of the country as traceable
, in a great degree, to the Philadelphia
Exhibition.
The Atlanta Exposition practically In
augurated the industrial movemen
= southwark, and the Louisville Exposi
ton kept the ball rolling.
Time and circumstances con- bined tC
| invite the opening of great school o.
. instruction at New Orleans, wherein th'
lpeople of the South would be taught by
, object lesson the value of all that skill
and science had achieved, wherein the,
would not only learn the value of th'
wealth of Southern soil, mine and for
, est, but have an opportunity to exhibi
their resources to the world, and to com
pare the best modern methods of In
struction of Europe and the United
, States.
Leaping over ten years of time
: THE WORLDS EXPOSITION
brought the South face to face with tn,
best thought and achievements of mod
ern science, skill and art.
Rich as she was in resources hereto
e fore, the South n ow stepped out into tn
a industrial arena thrice armed will
: knowledge, and putting away the leth
argy of old has taken up the great IN
dustrial contest with an earnestnes
and degree of success that amazes tn
|. world.
: At the beginning of these Exposition
{ three-fourths of Birmingham was col
; ton field.
, | Alabama's manufacturing industries
then slS. 90, 8
On Jan l. Ss,soo,W
An increase Sxo zoy, II
| Georyia,s product from manufactures was
then valued 80, 44os y
Jan. /, oi'oso,"